Govt has lost focus and locus on Education: UPP Tells Napo, Govt.

I have observed with keen interest the events leading up to the new Basic Education Bill that was brought to parliament and the events afterwards. I understand the Education Minister has accented the bill and the only thing barring it from becoming law is the parliamentary approval and President's signature.

I mean a bill that was put together without due consultations with the main stakeholders, teachers, what does a document like this seek to achieve?. Again this is gross and complete disrespect and disregard of teachers in this country since they are the direct implementers of any new directive regards Education in Ghana and they are the stakeholders who can best make inputs regards Education in Ghana. By passing them to make a new bill just doesn't make sense. Its quite surprising that the teacher unions are so quiet about these developments.

What thinking went into this bill? How will the assemblies fund the education since support will come from govt. The budget be frought with several challenges including how the small assemblies will survive, if money doesn't come ont-ime teachers will not be paid. Besides their responsibility of providing classes and reaource materials will mean that quality will also depend on the assemblies ability to augment the budget with their IGF's. So how can an assembly like the Sissala West raise money to augment its programmes if the budget from the gov't is insufficient..

I am sure that since this has started with Basic Education, plans are far advaanced to include primary and secondaary as well. What happens to FSHS, Schiol feeding programs. Note that the assembliss budget vary and may be discriminatory as the money that constitute the budget will depend on the assembly its meant for. Some Assemblies will depend on their IGF's. There will definitely be inequitable distribution of resources to the assemblies and this will further widen the gap of poverty and development that govt is trying to bridge.

Decentralise Education so that assemblies will have absolute control of Education which includes hiring and firing teachers and resource personnel in the asssembly, absolute control of the resource personnels and teachers budget thus the MCE or DCE can sack anyone base on dislike. The new regions will obviously suffer because these new Regions will have to be upgraded and the assemblies will need new infrustructure to facilitate the implementation and progress of development. The question is why does govt not do a complete decentralisation instead govt is focusing only Education. Govt should decentralise the rest if the institutions like the Controller and Accountants Generals Department so that no one haas to travel from Bugubelle in the Upper West Region just to work on his salary when it could be dine in the Region.

I can not talk about this Education bill without commenting on the Comprehensive Sex Education Policy targeted at pupils as young as 2 years. These events will make people criticise the President as a supporter of the LGBT and label him gay. This goes against the very fabric of our culture. Lawyer Foh-Amoaning best puts it "teaching 5- year- olds about sexuality is clear LGBT agenda". I call on gov't to take a second look at the this policy again. This should not even be a subject matter to talk about to later consider it as an option. It should never be brought up.

Kenneth Nana Kwame Asamoah
Nationaal Chairman(Ag.)
United Progressive Party.